"gatt" wrote in message
news:wbKdnTZcUch1PGfanZ2dnUVZ_hOdnZ2d@integraonlin e...
wrote:

I just read in Jimmy Doolittles' book about a fellow who did a
negative G maneuver back in the old days -- had forgotten to fasten
his belt -- and flew right up over the plane. No chute. They named an
airfield after him.

The author of "Lucky ******* Club", a B-17 pilot, recalls a training
mission in which one of the crews was forced to explain how they returned
to the field with the entire top turret missing.

-c

My father is also a certificated member of the "Lucky ******* Club". By 1945
many bombardment groups had some version of the "award" for air crewmen who
completed their combat missions. Although the required number of missions
was 35 he only completed 26 combat missions + 3 chowhound/manna missions to
Holland before the war ended. He has a good story about a missing top
turret. He and a crewmate somehow acquired a case of vienna sausages and
since they were the only ones who liked them they finished most of them off
by the time the night was through. The next morning he was sick enough to
remain at the base but he didn't want to make up the missed mission with an
assignment to a strange crew later so he went on the raid. They had to make
up any missed missions so they could finish with their own crew. During the
raid he became physically sick and had to go below to puke. As he was
standing back up into the turret he knocked his helmet off so he had to bend
down to pick it up. Just then a flak burst took out the top turret. It also
wounded the waist gunner (who was sent home afterwards). He says this time
the flak was so close he could smell it. The burst apparently was between
the wing and the stabilizer of the B-17. So, if not for a case of Vienna
Sausages consumed on March 8,1945 in Deopham Green, England neither I nor
any of 5 siblings nor a bunch of grandkids would be around today to not like
them.

Also, today, April 7, 1945, is the 63rd anniversary of the concerted
rammings sometimes known as Sonderkommando Elbe. Much information has been
uncovered in the last few years about this day and a very interesting story
is unfolding as it is pieced together by participants on both sides. The
452nd BG was awarded the Presidential Distinguised Unit Citation for that
mission.

Tony P.